


Sugar and Apples

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Challenge 2013, Candles, Christmas Presents, Community: 52_challenge, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elizabeth is having a very stressful holiday</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sugar and Apples

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my Advent Calendar prompt "Sugar," and my Stargate 52 prompt "Apple."

Elizabeth sank onto her bed with a tired sigh, slipping her shoes off as she did. For some reason, the IOA had decided that December was the perfect time to audit the Atlantis expedition, so instead of everyone getting to enjoy their break, Elizabeth had been forced to prod all department heads into updating their records and tracking down missing reports from their own people.

When she and John had initially conceived of this two week break around the holidays - Chanukah, Christmas, and the Athosian Midsummer celebration all fell during the same two week period this year - their plan had been to give everyone a break from missions and disasters, not to spend the time off working on pointless paperwork. Quite frankly, Elizabeth didn't want to be prodding them about it anymore than they wanted her on their backs, and for a bleak moment, she wished that they have never reestablished contact with Earth.

Of course, then the city would probably have been destroyed, and they would all be dead, but at least there wouldn't be any paperwork in the afterlife. Probably.

Upset at the dark turn of her thoughts, Elizabeth sat back up and looked around her room. She had tried to make it a bit more homey, but it was still fairly plain. On the table, however, sat a small bag - Teyla's Midsummer/Christmas present to her. Getting back up - and biting back a groan as her tired feet protested - Elizabeth retrieved the package. It contained a handmade candle, and an Athosian lighter device.

Deciding that aromatherapy was just what she needed, Elizabeth settled back onto her bed with it. Using the unusual lighter took a few tries, but soon Elizabeth had the pale amber candle lit, and it was flickering merrily. Within a minute, the warm, sweet, smell of sugar and apple surrounded her. It wasn't exactly like the apple pie candles she had stuck her nose into in candle shops on Earth, but there was something cleaner, less chemical, about the Athosian version.

Feeling the knots gently loosening in her back, Elizabeth leaned against her headboard and watched the candle's flame dance. This was how she wanted to remember the holiday season this year.


End file.
